Current Affairs 18 May 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 18 May 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MCCIA, NABARD launch India’s 1st Agriculture Export Facilitation Center in PuneMahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA) in partnership with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched India’s 1st Agriculture Export Facilitation Center (AEFC) in Pune, Maharashtra.

• AEFC will help in boosting Maharashtra’s agricultural and food exports and wil help in meeting Global Standards.
• It will act as a one-stop-shop for the export of agri-food productions.
• The center was virtually inaugurated by Dr G.R. Chintala, Chairman of NABARD.

Key Points
i.It will be open to anyone who is involved in export of agricultural products.
ii.The center will provide expert guidance on areas like Orchard Management, Minimum Residue Level (MRL), Branding and Marketing, Special Export Treatments, Country-wise Protocols, Government Export Schemes.
iii.India’s Target in Agriculture Exports – The export of agriculture is targeted at USD 60 Billion by 2022.
About Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA)
Director General (DG) –  Prashant Girbane
Headquarters – Pune, Maharashtra
About National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
Chairman – Dr. G.R. Chintala
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
>>Read Full News

India & Mongolia renew Cultural Exchange Program until 2023During a virtual meeting between India’s Minister of State for Culture & Tourism  (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel & Mongolia’s Minister of Culture, Chinbat Nomin the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) between the two countries was renewed until 2023.

• The CEP was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mongolia in May, 2015.
• The cooperation under the program will be discussed in meetings between senior officers of the Culture Ministries of India & Mongolia.

Key Points
i.Buddhism will be the basis of the deep, spiritual friendship between the two countries.
ii.10 dedicated ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Scholarships for studying ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ to be allocated for Mongolians to study in specialized institutes of Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Leh, Ladakh and Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) at Varanasi,Uttar Pradesh from 2020-21.
About Mongolia
President – Khaltmaagiin Battulga
Capital – Ulaanbaatar
Currency – Togrog or Tugrik (MNT)
>>Read Full News

Pune ranks 1st among urban cities of India with adequate Health Infrastructure – Housing.com Report

According to ‘State of Indian Healthcare – Indian Cities through the lens of healthcare 2021’ report released by Housing.com, an real estate portal – Pune, Maharashtra is the healthiest city among the top 8 urban cities of India with regard to parameters like number of hospital beds, ease of living, water quality, and local body performance.

• The top 3 cities are –  Pune, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Bengaluru (Karnataka).
• At 8th, Delhi NCR (National Capital Region) was ranked the least among the 8 cities.
• The other cities are Mumbai Metropolitan Region – MMR (4th Rank); Hyderabad, Telangana (5th); Chennai, Tamil Nadu  (6th); Kolkata, West Bengal (7th).
• The report also states that India has the lowest number of doctors (0.86) per 1, 000 people (Developed economies have between 2-4 doctors per 1, 000 people).

BANKING & FINANCE

Jana Small Finance Bank, launched a Feature – ‘I choose my number’

In order to make banking to be simple and personalised, Jana Small Finance Bank, came up with a feature called ‘I choose my number’, that allows its customers to choose their favourite numbers for their savings or current account.

• The bank customers can choose their favourite numbers as the last 10 digits of their bank account (savings/current) subject to the availability of the requested number.
• As per the bank, this added feature is intended to relate the customers closer to the bank as they choose their auspicious or lucky numbers.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

In April 2021 India’s Export rise to $ 30.63 billion; Trade Deficit rise to $15.10 billionIn May 2021, the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry reported a 3-fold increase in India’s export for the month of April 2021, to $30.63 billion from $10.36 billion of April 2020, due to healthy growth in sectors like gems and jewellery, and engineering.
Comparison between Exports and Imports in April 2020 and 2021:

Key points:
i.Due to the low base effect in trade volumes in April 2020(because of COVID-19 induced lockdown), exports and imports in April 2021 recorded a growth rate of 195.72 percent.
ii.In March 2021, the exports grew by 60.29 percent to $34.45 billion as compared to April 2020, in which the exports had plunged by a record 60.28 percent.
iii.Commodities with positive growth: Gems and jewellery, jute, carpet, handicrafts, leather, electronic goods, oil meals, cashew, engineering, petroleum products, marine products, and chemicals were the export commodities that had positive growth in April 2021.
About Ministry of Commerce & Industry:
Union Minister – Piyush Vedprakash Goyal (Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Hardeep Singh Puri (Rajya Sabha, Uttar Pradesh), Som Parkash (Lok Sabha – Hoshiarpur, Punjab)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank gets ‘International Invincible Gold Medal 2021’Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was awarded International Invincible Gold Medal 2021 by Maharshi Organisation.He has been recognised for his extraordinary commitment and outstanding service to humanity through his writings, social and illustrious public life.
Key points:
i.The award will be formally presented to Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Guru Purnima this year(24^th July 2021).
ii.Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was selected for this award by a high-powered committee duly constituted under the leadership of worldwide president of Maharshi Organisation, Dr Tony Nader.
>>Read Full News

Andrea Meza of Mexico Crowned with Miss Universe 2020On May 16, 2021, Mexican Model Andrea Meza was crowned as the Miss Universe 2020 at the televised event held in Florida, US. She became the 3rd Mexican woman to be crowned as Miss Universe. She is a software engineer.

• Miss Universe 2020 was the 69th Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Universe 2020:

Key points:
i.Miss Universe 2019: Zozibini Tunzi, the Miss Universe of 2019.
ii.Zozibini Tunzi, a public relations professional was the first Black woman from South Africa to win the contest when she has crowned Miss Universe in 2019 and she held the title since December 2019 as Miss Universe pageant in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19
About Miss Universe Organization:
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organisation, Currently owned by the WME/IMG talent agency.
Establishment – 1952
Headquarters – New York City, USA

APPOINTMENTS & RESINGNATIONS

Moctor Ouane reappointed as Prime Minister of MaliMoctor Ouane was reappointed as Prime Minister of Mali by President Bah Ndaw.
Moctor had  submitted his resignation letter on May 14, 2021.

• He will be incharge of forming a new cabinet.
• He was appointed as Prime Minister of Mali in September 2020, following the military coup which overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August, 2020.
• The Interim Government of Mali is set to hold a constitutional referendum on October 31, 2021 followed by elections in February, 2022.

About Moctar Ouane:

• He also served as the permanent representative of Mali to the United Nations(UN) from 1995 to 2002.
• He was the diplomatic adviser to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West Afrcian regional economic bloc.

About Mali
President – Bah Ndaw
Capital – Bamako
Currency – West African CFA Franc

SPORTS

Tennis – Overview of 2021 Italian OpenSpain’s Rafael Nadal defeated Serbia’s Novak Djokovic to win the Men’s Singles Title of 2021 Italian Open (78th Edition), also known as Rome Masters. This is Nadal’s 10th Italian Open Title.

• In the Women’s Category, Iga Swiatek (Poland) defeated Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) to win the Women’s Singles Title of Italian Open 2021.
• The Italian Open 2021 (also known as Rome Masters or Internazionali BNL d’Italia) took place at the Foro Italico venue in Rome, Italy from May 8-16, 2021.
• The Clay court Tournament is an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event & a WTA 1000 event.
• Nadal’s 1st Italian Open Title came in 2005.

>>Read Full News

Cricket : England player Harry Gurney announces RetirementEngland’s Fast bowler Harry Frederick Gurney announced his retirement from Cricket at the age of 34.

• He has represented the England Cricket Team in 10 One Day Internationals (ODIs) & 2 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).
• He picked up 11 wickets in 10 ODIs & 3 wickets in his T20I career.
• He has played for clubs like Nottinghamshire, Melbourne Renegades ( BBL – Big Bash League), Quetta Gladiators (PSL – Pakistan Super League), and Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL – Indian Premier League).

Table Tennis – ITTF partners with Stupa Sports Analytics to provide performance analyticsThe International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has entered into a partnership with Stupa Sports Analytics, an Indian start-up company to provide Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled real-time match and practice solutions to leading players in all its 226 member associations.

• AI will help in taking Table Tennis to the next level by providing real time and in-depth analysis.
• During COVID-19 pandemic, ITTF collaborated with Stupa Analytics to provide online training lessons.
• AI analytics will help players to optimise their training, unearth new revelations, patterns and discover data driven insights.
• This collaboration also helps in strengthening the performance of ITTF’s “With The Future in Mind” scholarship holders for the upcoming Olympic and Youth Olympic Games.

About International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
President – Thomas Weikert
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
About Stupa Sports Analytics
CEO – Megha Gambhir
Headquarters – Delhi

2021 Men’s World Boxing Championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that the 2021 AIBA  Men’s World Boxing Championships is scheduled to be held in Belgrade, Serbia from October 26 to November 6,2021.

• The previous edition of Championships was hosted by Ekaterinburg, Russia in 2019.
• About AIBA :  Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland; President – Mr Umar Kremlev.

OBITUARY

Renowned Mathematician Padma Bhushan Prof. M S Narasimhan Passed AwayRenowned Mathematician Padma Bhushan Prof. Mudumbai Seshachalu Narasimhan(MS Narasimhan) passed away at the age of 88. He is well known, along with C. S. Seshadri, for the Narasimhan–Seshadri theorem.
He was born on 7th June 1932 in Thandarai, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tamil Nadu).

• He was the only Indian to receive the King Faisal International Prize in Science.

About M S Narasimhan:
i.He has served as a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
ii.He headed the Mathematics research group at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
iii.He has served as a member of Executive Committee of the International Mathematical Union(IMU) (1982 – 1986) and president of the Commission on Development and Exchange of IMU(1986-1994)
iv.He was the founding chairman of the National Board of Higher Mathematics of the Government of India.
Awards:

• Bhatnagar Prize (Mathematical Sciences)- 1975
• Third World Academy Award for Mathematics – 1987
• Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal of Indian National Science Academy(INSA) – 1988
• Padma Bhushan(Science and Engineering) – 1990
• “Chevalier de l’ordre du Merite” by the President of France
• CV Raman Birth Centenary Award of Indian Science Congress Association (1994)
• King Faisal International Prize – 2006

RL Bhatia:Congress Leader & Former Governor of Kerala, Bihar Passed AwayOn 15^th May 2021,Senior Congress leader and former Governor of Kerala, Bihar, Raghunandan Lal Bhatia(R L Bhatia) passed away due to covid-19 in Amritsar,Punjab.He was born on 3^rd  July 1921 in Amritsar,Punjab.
About R L Bhatia:
i.R L Bhatia was elected as Member of Parliament(MP), six times from Amritsar parliamentary constituency.
ii.He served as the Minister of State for External Affairs in the PV Narasimha Rao government in 1992.
iii.He had also served as the governor of Kerala from 2004 to 2008 and the governor of Bihar from 2008 to 2009.
iv.Earlier,he served as Unit president and general secretary of the Congress Party in Punjab.
v.He was also known as an old horse of the Congress party.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Preet Mohan Singh Malik’s Book about Sikkim – ‘Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance’ Preet Mohan Singh Malik’s book about Sikkim named ‘Sikkim: A History of Intrigue and Alliance’ was published by HarperCollins India, on May 16, 2021, the day on which Sikkim Day is being celebrated.
About the Book:
i.Objective: The book’s objective is to clarify the strategic issues behind India’s decision to accept Sikkim’s demand to be merged with India.
ii.The book focuses on the history of Sikkim along with the story of how it merged with India in 1975.
iii.It examines the relationship between its original inhabitants, the Lepchas, and the Bhutias (people of Tibetan origin).
iv.About the 1967 military exchange between India and China at Chumbi valley (the Sikkim border) and the military standoff in 2017 between India and China in Doklam Plateau were also discussed in the book.
About Preet Mohan Singh Malik:
He joined the IFS (Indian Foreign Service) in 1962, served as India’s ambassador to Bahrain, Cuba and Myanmar, and as high commissioner to Tanzania with concurrent accreditation to the Seychelles, Malaysia, and Brunei.
About Sikkim 
i.Sikkim became the 22nd state of India in 1975. It is the northeastern state of India which borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south.
ii.Sikkim is also close to India’s Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh, which connects India’s northeastern states with the rest of the country.
iii.Chumbi Valley: It is a valley in the Himalayas of Tibet (China), that is a narrow valley projecting towards the tri-junction point of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet borders, the Siliguri Corridor is just 50 km away from it.
iv.Nathu La and Jelep La, were the 2 passes on Sikkim’s border, serving as the entreport to the Tibetan plateau.

IMPORTANT DAYS

UN Global Road Safety Week 2021 – 17-23 May United Nations(UN)’s Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by the World Health Organisation(WHO). The day aims to create awareness of road safety and make changes that will reduce the number of road deaths.
The Global Road Safety Week 2021 observed from 17th to 23rd May 2021 marks the 6th UNGRSW. 
The theme of UN Global Road Safety Week 2021 is “Streets for Life #Love30”, which calls for 30 km/h default speed limits where people and vehicles mix.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) has mandated the WHO and the UN Regional Commissions to host the biennial UN Global Road Safety Weeks.
ii.The first UNGRSW was celebrated in 2007.
>>Read Full News

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2021:May 17Every year on 17th May is celebrated as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) throughout the world.
The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
The theme of World Telecommunication Day 2021 : Accelerating digital transformation in challenging times​​.
The coronavirus pandemic has indeed highlighted the critical role of information and communication technologies more than ever.
About International Telecommunication Union(ITU):
Establishment:1865
Members: 193 countries and about 800 sector members including academic institutions and private sector entities have membership of ITU.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
>>Read Full News

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia 2021 – May 17 The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) is annually observed across the globe on 17th May to commemorate the World Health Organization(WHO)’s decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1990.
The day aims to celebrate sexual and gender diversity and campaign against the violence and discrimination experienced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people across the globe.
The theme of the 2021 IDAHOTB is “Together: Resisting, Supporting, Healing!”.
Background:
i.The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia was launched in 2004 to focus attention on the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBT
ii.On 17th May 1990, the World Health Assembly has approved the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD 10), which no longer listed homosexuality as a diagnosis.

World Hypertension day 2021: May 17World Hypertension day is celebrated annually on May 17 to raise awareness about the symptoms of hypertension to prevent and control it. It was first initiated by the World Hypertension League (WHL) an affiliated section of the International Society of Hypertension(ISH), on May 14, 2005.
Key points:
i.The theme for 2021: ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer’
ii.The focus of 2021: Combatting low awareness rates worldwide, especially in low to middle-income areas, and accurate blood pressure measurement methods.
iii.In India, 1 in every 3 Indian adults above the age of 60 is being affected by hypertension and the estimated prevalence of hypertension is about 29.8 percent.
iv.Since 2006, May 17 was dedicated as the World Hypertension Day for every year by the WHL.
About Hypertension:
i.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), BP is the force exerted by circulating blood against the walls of the body’s arteries, the major blood vessels in the body. Too high Blood Pressure(BP) is Hypertension.
ii.It affects more than 30% of the adult population worldwide, more than 1 billion people around the world.
>>Read Full News

International Day of Living Together in Peace 2021 – May 16The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Living Together in Peace is annually observed across the globe on May 16 to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity.
The day aims to support the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.
Background:
The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/72/130 on 8th December 2017 and proclaimed the 16th May of every year as the International Day of Living Together in Peace.
About International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP):
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) was founded by late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam.
Director– Atish Dabholkar(India)
Founded in– 1964
Headquarters– Trieste, Italy
>>Read Full News

National Dengue Day 2021: May 16Every year, May 16 is observed by the Union Health Ministry as ‘National Dengue Day’ across the country to create awareness about measures on dengue prevention and to control the spread of the vector-borne disease and to reaffirm nationwide efforts to tackle the scourge by using both education and medical intervention.
Key points:
Dengue is a viral disease, which is transmitted by the infective bite of a specific mosquito called Aedes Aegypti. It is commonly spread during the rainy season and it is highly contagious through mosquito bites.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:
Union Minister:Harsh Vardhan (Constituency- Chandni Chowk(NCT of Delhi))
Minister Of State:Ashwini Kumar Choubey(Constituency- Buxar, Bihar)
>>Read Full News

International Day of Light 2021 – May 16The International Day of Light(IDL) is annually observed across the globe on 16th May to celebrate the role of lights in science, culture and art, education and sustainable development, medicine, communications, and energy. The day also marks the anniversary of the first successful operations of the laser in 1960 by Physicist and Engineer Theodore Maiman. 
Background:
i.The resolution on International Day of Light was prepared and adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) Executive Board at its 200th session on 19th September 2016.
ii.The UNESCO Executive Board resolution was endorsed by the UNESCO General Conference at its 39th session on 7 November 2017.
iii.The first IDL was observed on 16th May 2018.
>>Read Full News

World Agri-Tourism Day 2021 – May 16The World Agri-Tourism Day is annually observed across the globe on 16th May to promote Agritourism. The day aims to educate the tourists on how agricultural activities are done in farms.
16th May 2021 marks the 14th World Agri Tourism Day. 
International Conference on Agri Tourism:
i.As a part of the 14th World Agri Tourism Day, the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra and Agri Tourism Development Corporation(ATDC) has organised an International conference on Agri Tourism on 15th and 16th May 2021.

• The theme of the conference is – “Rural Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship Opportunities through Agri”

ii.“World Agri Tourism Awards 2021” were distributed during the 2-day conference.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh Announced ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan’ – to Tackle COVID-19 Spread in VillagesOn May 16, 2021, Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh announced a distinct COVID Fateh programme as part of the ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyaan’(corona-free village drive) to manage the spread of COVID-19 in the rural areas of Punjab.

• The Health and rural development departments were directed to spearhead the campaign with large-scale mobilisation of the community in the villages.

Purpose of the Programme: 
i.The main objective of the program is to establish health and wellness clinics to spread awareness about the COVID-19 among the village people.
ii.Community health officers, panchayats, school teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, village police officers, and youth volunteers will engage on a large scale to guide the programme.
iii.For testing COVID-19 in rural areas, the health department was instructed to provide additional Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits and they are also allowed to open Covid Care Centres (L1), with the support of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
About Punjab:
RAMSAR Site – Beas Conservation Reserve, Keshopur-Miani community reserve, Harike Lake, Kanjli Wetland, Ropar wetlands, and Nangal wildlife sanctuary
Forts – Gobindgarh Fort, Lodhi Fort, Manauli Fort

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani Launched ‘My Village – Corona Free Village’ Campaign

Gujarat Chief Minister (CM), Vijay Rupani Launched 15 day long ‘Maru Gam – Corona Mukt Gam’ or ‘My Village – Corona Free Village’ campaign on May 1, 2021 to check the spread of Covid-19 in rural areas of Gujarat. This Campaign will direct to provide adequate stock of medicines in the rural areas & will create awareness among people for Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

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